30 Aug 2016

Lots of Trigger Warnings

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trigger-warning1

Toni Airaksinen lists some of the trigger warnings she’s encountered these days at Barnard.

As a student at Barnard, a private women’s college in Manhattan, I come across trigger warnings daily. Most often, I see them in campus Facebook groups, but occasionally too in campus magazines or during in-class conversations.

Online, where I encounter them most frequently, these warnings take the form of captions at the top of posts. They say “trigger warning” or “content warning,” or simply, “tw” or “cw.”

Here are some of the topics I’ve recently seen trigger warnings on. (And no, trigger warnings aren’t given ironically. To do so would be insensitive, you jerk.)

Pokemon GO

PokemonHuh? Pokemon GO is problematic? Yes, of course it is. Everything is problematic. But why? Well, some people believe Pokemon GO is a racist and classist game. Not only that, but people have alleged that it’s ableist, too. So much for “it’s just a game.” (Pictured, screenshot of actual trigger warning)

U.S. Constitution

I did a double take when I saw “tw: constitution” placed on a post rejoicing the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The logic is simple: the U.S. is, according to some students and professors, a tyrannical and colonialistic empire founded via the genocide of Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans. For students, particularly those of color, the Constitution needs a trigger warning because it could prompt thoughts of oppression, persecution, genocide, and other social ills.

‘White men’

Contemporary feminism deems men as oppressors and threats. And in the hierarchy of oppressors, white men sit atop the food chain. So not only do I come across trigger warnings on posts about men — what they’ve said or done — but I also saw this one: “TW: white men” — used on an article on fraternity brothers behaving badly.

Donald Trump

At my school, contempt for conservatives is de rigueur. Anyone to the political right is considered not just bad, but dangerous. Thus, mentions of politicians such as Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina and Paul Ryan, or conservative values (such as gun rights), often come with a trigger warning attached. For example, it’s not uncommon to see a news article with something Donald Trump said tagged with “trigger warning: Trump, racism.”

The Police

Need I say more? I live in New York City; whenever the police are spotted on campus, my timeline erupts in trigger warnings. Statuses such as “Trigger warning: Just seen on Broadway Ave and 116th Street, NYPD vans. Stay inside!” are common. Police are associated with police brutality, racism, and the historical legacy of black oppression in America.

Traditional Gender Roles

The traditional male/female binary is oppressive, according to far-left logic. It limits women, we’re told. So, any references to gender roles can be hurtful. For example, it may be triggering to ask a female student if she wants children when she’s older, because to ask would be to play into the stereotype that women have an inherent maternal instinct, we have been warned.

There are other topics, of course. Thanksgiving. The Second Amendment. And so on. But to cite them all would be like trying to list all the “isms” — it’s an endless parade of affronts that seemingly has no end in sight.

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5 Feedbacks on "Lots of Trigger Warnings"

GoneWithTheWind

The so-called genocide of native Americans was mostly self defense from the genocide the native Americans were attempting on the immigrants. About the same numbers of Indians and immigrants were killed in the many large and small fights. Clearly there were instances of terrible and violent attacks often on unarmed people but again by both sides.



fjord

“For example, it may be triggering to ask a female student if she wants children when she’s older, because to ask would be to play into the stereotype that women have an inherent maternal instinct, we have been warned.”

Please make it stop.



Maggie's Farm

Wednesday morning links

Why do we eat out so much? We eat supper out a fair bit. One marital date nite per week, one or two social nights out, and a fair amount of take-out because it is easy, tasty, healthy, and cheap. Mrs. BD only wants to cook for guests or holidays after…



Grumpy

I know you’re not a Trump fan, but I’m going to vote for him for three reasons.

1. The media hates him. They’re lying sacks of crap. They’ve tried to portray Hillary as a respectable, caring, wise, and accomplished leader. All lies. If they’re willing to lie so badly to build their allies up, they’re willing to do the same to tear their enemies down. They’ve pretty much admitted it. I’m not saying that Trump is a good guy or a great leader, but he’s probably not Hitler or the Devil like media would have us believe.

2. The establishment hates him. The Republicans and Democrats can’t stand him. This is because they’re largely on the same side: Their own. They can’t control him, so he’s a danger to their weasel club.

3. PC and SJW types hate him. Everytime he opens his mouth, their ears start to bleed. I hate the special snowflakes, and they hate me, you, and everyone else. They hate what you think, and they hate what you are. I’ll vote for Trump. If he gets into office, they might burst into flame from fear and loathing. I’ll vote for him just to stick it in their craw.

I’d rather have a decent candidate, but this election cycle has offered up a barrel of crap. He’s not a good option, but in a world of bad options, the best option is still the best option.

Make no mistake, while I intend to vote for him, we should watch him as we should watch all our elected officials who are all tempted by the path to tyranny.



Seattle Sam

As usual, liberals overreach their objective. Eventually people will pay about as much attention to Trigger Warnings as they do to the warnings on cigarette packs or pharmaceutical advertising (have you ever seen an ad that didn’t list “death” as a possible side effect?). If I were teaching a class I would simply state: “It is statistically likely that something you will see or hear in this class will offend someone.”



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